Cutter for dredges



y 12, 1936- I... T. GAYLORD CUTTER FOR DREDGES Filed Aug. 5, 1933 INVENTOR JTLTG/ay led 5 ATTORNEY Patented May 12, 1936 2,040,303

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,040,303 CUTTER FOR DREDGES Laurence T. Gaylord, Upper Montclair, N. J. Application August 5, 1933, Serial No. 683,743

8 Claims. (01. 37-67) This invention relates to cutters used in dredg idea of the proportions of the long blades may ing operations, and particularly to an improved be obtained from Fig. 2 which is a plan of the type of cutter, adapted to work efficiently in the blade on the slope of the blade pad, warping beds of rivers, harbors or other bodies of water being disregarded. The length of the blade there in which pockets of gas are encountered beneath shown is approximately '7 feet 4 inches. The 5 the surface of the said beds. width of the blade at the rear, marked D-D, is During the carrying-on of dredging operations, inches and at the front, marked G-G, by means of hydraulic dredges, diificulty is some- 11 inches. A cross-section of the blade is shown times experienced in maintaining the suction in in 3 Which is 011 the line 3- of The 10 th pipe through hi h th t i l dislodged by nature and extent of the warping of a blade, such 10 the cutter is lifted by the pump, which difficulty as that shown in is clearly wn n arises from the presence of gas in the suction pipe. Fig. 4, the va i us s t s of which correspond Such gas is apparently produced by the decay of with those of Fig; 2 having similar designations. the vegetable matter that has been covered by The dottedlihe of 2 represents anthe d d lt of t river tt and t p proximately the front end of one of the shorter l5 lects in pockets in the beds of streams or rivers. blades 5 and The difierenee in l t of Where those beds are of non-porous nature or the long and Short blades is pp a e y 3 feet, composition, the gas is prevented from escaping although this dimension, s W61 as the dimenas. it forms, and consequently, it collects in Siehs of other. parts a from these m pockets. When in the course of hydraulic dredghoned Without departing from the Scope of my 20 ing, the cutter of the dredge breaks through the mvehtionwall of earth surrounding the gas, the latter is The mode of Connecting the Cutter t its S released and is drawn into the Suction pipe of the and the relative positions of the cutter and the dredge. This breaks the Suction and causes a mouth of the suction pipe are clearly shown in 2 stoppage in the dredging operations until the Fig. 1 in which the apparatus that is behind the pump can he primed again parts of the cutter is represented by dotted This invention resides in a cutter which is so h AS will be Seen, the hub 8 0f the p r formed and proportioned as to substantially pre- 15 connected to the Shaft 9 in t manner, vent the entrance f gas into the Suction pipe and the mouth l0 of the suction pipe is located ft the release f the gas f om the pocket by a short distance back of the arms of the spider. 30

the cutting away of the bank of the river-bed Ihe manner in which y improved type of during the movement of the cutter across said cutter operates to aiccomphsh the purpose Set bank forth hereinbefore is as follows. When the h This invention will be clearly understood by cutter is brought into contact with the bank of reading the following description in connection the matenal to he dredged, h d'ends 0f 35 with the drawing of which Figure 1 shows i the 10m blades 2 and 3 begin to cut away th perspective one form of a cutter embodying my bank and gradually penetrate until the shorter invention and Figs. 2, 3 and 4, whi h are drawn blades make contact with and begin to cut into 40 to different scales, represent details of the cutter the bank durmg the course of firedgmg,

blades and of their connection to the spider of Pmkets of gas are encopntered they W111 be 40 the cutter leased by the penetration of the walls of the In F1 g 1, I 2 and 3 represent three blades of longer blades. The gas will rise to the surface a six-bladed cutter and 4, 5 and 6 represent the of fi stlieam S of bemg drawn mm the remaining blades thereof. Each blade is bolted, sue 1cm plpe, W 1611 result fhequehtly poourred riveted or otherwise suitably fastened to the when gas was encountered g dredging oper- 45 tions in which the conventional cutter having ads desi nated H which form an integral art of a the arm: of the spider. These pads a e the Short blades was employed Consequently by I using a cutter of the type hereinbefore described TePtaHgUIaflY formed ends of the arms of the it is practicable to carry on dredging operationsin spider to which the blades are fastened, usually the bed of a stream containing gas with Substam 50 i belts hvets- A5 W111 be apparent tially no interruptions of those operations due to Fig. 1, the blades I, 2 and 3 are substantially breakage of th suction by gas getting into the longer than blades 4, 5 and 6, and are fastened by suction pipe riveting or other suitable means to a ring I which on the other hand, the material that is cut serves to strengthen the cutter structure. An by the shorter blades 4, 5 and 6 as well as by 55 the rear ends of the longer blades I, 2 and 3 will be drawn freely into the suction pipe, through the mouth l0.

While the invention has been disclosed as embodied in a particular form, it is to be understood that it is not so limited but is capable of embodiment in other and different forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dredge-cutter comprising a spider having a plurality of arms, and a plurality of blades each attached to one of said arms, certain of said blades being longer than the others, and extending forwardly thereof to such distance that the material stirred up by said extended portions will be outside the effective suction range.

A dredge-cutter characterized by having means extending beyond the cutting zone of said cutter to penetrate the material about to be cut 'and to release the occluded gases at a point well beyond the effective suction range.

3. A dredge-cutter comprising a spider having a plurality of arms and a plurality of blades each attached to one of said arms, certain of said blades extending forward a greater distance than others, the said forward extending blades being securely fastened near the front ends thereof and the forward extensions being of such length as to release the occluded gases beyond the suction range.

4. A dredge-cutter comprising a spider having a plurality of arms, and a plurality of blades each attached to one of said arms, certain of said blades being longer than those adjacent thereto the longer blades extending forwardly beyond the effective suction range.

5. A dredge-cutter comprising a spider having a plurality of arms, and a plurality of blades each attached to one of said arms, the adjacent blades being of different lengths, and every other blade being of substantially the same length the longer of said blades extending forwardly beyond the effective suction range.

6. In dredging apparatus for use in places containing pockets of gas, the combination with a cutter having a plurality of blades, of means for rotating the said blades, and a suction pipe having its mouth adjacent to the rear of said blades, certain of said blades extending forward to such extent that the gas released by the break- 7 ing away of the walls of the pockets by the forwardly extending blades will not be drawn to substantial extent into said suction pipe.

7. A dredge-cutter comprising a spider having a hub and arms attached to said hub, each arm having a pad connected to the end thereof, a plurality of blades each attached to one of said pads, the said blades being of such length as to extend a substantial distance in front of said arms and certain of said arms extending beyond the forward limits of the others to such extent that the material stirred by the said extensions will be beyond the effective suction range.

8. In a hydraulic dredging system the combination with a cutter spider having a plurality of arms, of a suction pipe having its mouth in close proximity to the back of the arms of said cutter, and a plurality of blades each attached to one of said arms, all of the said blades being of such length as to extend a substantial distance beyond the front of said arms and certain of said blades extending beyond the forward limits of the others to such extent that the material stirred by the forward extensions will be beyond the effective suction range.

LAURENCE T. GAYLORD. 

